Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs Cut Post-Acute Care Spending By 9%

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) during 2012 had post-acute care spending in 2014 that was about 9% lower per beneficiary. The spending drop was driven by reductions in acute inpatient care, fewer discharges to post-acute care facilities, and shorter lengths of stay for those ACO beneficiaries who were admitted to post-acute care. MSSP ACOs that entered later had smaller reductions in post-acute care spending. Post-acute care facility settings include skilled nursing facilities (SNF), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs).

These findings were reported in . . .